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NICLAS LUNDIN, DANIR
Numbers, ball sense
and confident, effective
baseline play.
Artists see images, musicians find chords, and
poets combine words to express themselves.
Niclas Lundin, CEO of Danir, sees opportunities and
solutions where the rest of us only see numbers.
When it comes to business economics, if anyone has
perfect pitch, it’s him.
Although Niclas is more of the strong silent type,
he’s a winner who knows hard work will take you
where you want to go. It was that attitude that first
allowed him to excel in tennis, where he competed
at the elite level. Niclas was once ranked tenth in
Sweden in his age group. That, in turn, earned him
a scholarship to study Business Administration and
Economics at Northeast Louisiana University. During
his studies, it became clear that he had an aptitude
for business economics and numbers.
“When you realise you’re good at something and
that it comes easily to you, it becomes more fun. And
if you think something is fun, you also do a much
better job,” says Niclas about his interest in numbers. his role as CEO.
Niclas has always worked with business econo-
mics, in roles ranging from controller to auditor and
CFO, in various industries. In 2014, he was working
at Skånemejerier when he heard from a business
acquaintance that Dan Olofsson was in need of a new
CFO. Niclas was not a complete stranger to Dan, as he
had previously done audits for both Sigma and Teleca.
“I met Dan and Johan one afternoon, and after
chatting for an hour they asked me then and there
when I could start,” Niclas remembers, when asked
how he came to start working at Danir.
“By that point, Skånemejerier had gained new
owners and had become significantly less indepen-
dent than the farmer-owned, locally run company
I’d started at, and that made Danir’s way of working
especially appealing,” Niclas continues.
Niclas joined Danir in the middle of an exciting
stage. He felt that he could help guide and shape the
company’s forward momentum. Today, that journey
has given Danir a clearer role, with new platforms
for its sub-groups and an ever-expanding portfolio of
strategic holdings and acquisitions.
In September 2021, Niclas took over as CEO of
the Danir Group, which has gone from about forty
holdings (when he started as CFO) to over 150.
“Good communication is crucial, and I’m normally
in touch with 15-20 companies every week. And even
though our entrepreneur-led companies are very
self-sustaining, it’s important to be available if and
when advice or support is needed,” says Niclas about
Niclas likes to keep his finger on the pulse of what’s
happening in the group, and there is a lot going on.
Danir now has 11,600 employees, with a presence
in 25 countries. And these numbers continue to
increase. Niclas has a positive view of the future, and
he expects to see continued strong growth in both
existing and new markets, with good profitability.
Long-term thinking appeals to Niclas. In his view,
safe and effective baseline play, rather than constantly
“rushing the net”, is what contributes to stability and
steadily increasing growth. It’s a strategy well-suited
to a quality-conscious numbers artist and racket
sports enthusiast like himself.